Mike,
The answer to your question is "yes". I own an ATI HD USB receiver with
an empia chipset. It works well, with the only problem being a conflict
of some kind with Compiz. I simply disable desktop effects when I want
to watch TV.
You can find the info you need at linuxtv.org as far as getting and
installing the driver is concerned. Be aware that there are multiple
versions of the needed firmware. The firmware at the site may not be the
exact firmware that you need. What I did was to extract the firmware
from the Windows driver for my specific receiver and copy it to
the /lib/firmware/ directory.
After installing V4L-DVB and plugging in your card, run "dmesg" and
look for any errors. If there is a firmware issue, you should see it
there. If Devin is still monitoring this site, he may step in and offer
help. He gave me an incredible amount of help and is very familiar with
the card I have.